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Dear Parish Faithful,
This particular year, I would like to strongly encourage everyone to make the effort to be present in the church and praying for at least one of the four evenings on which we will sing and chant the Canon of Repentance by St. Andrew of Crete.
These four evenings are, of course, the first four of Great Lent. This year that would be March 2 - 5. The service begins at 7:00 p.m. and lasts a little over an hour. I cannot think of a better way to begin the lenten season; or better the lenten spring.
Besides the compunctionate text of the Canon, there is also the very "atmosphere" of the church which helps us to still our restless minds and focus on our need to absorb the service and fill our minds with the thought and need for repentance. I fully understand commitments and obligations that cannot be ignored, but the first week of Great Lent especially, is not the time for entertainment and events that can be postponed or deferred to another time. And I would encourage parents to bring your children/teens on one of those evenings. Therefore, mark your calendars and make this a priority in your lives.
I have attached an excellent summary of Great Lent prepared by Mother Paula (our former parishioner Vicki Bellas), who resides at the Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Ellwood City, PA. What Mother Paula did was carefully read Met. Kallistos Ware's article on "The Meaning of Great Lent" and then summarize the main points in a very accessible and helpful form. This article is probably the best that one could read about the meaning and content of Great Lent. It serves as the Introduction to Met. Kallistos' translation of The Lenten Triodion, the indispensable liturgical book used throughout Great Lent and Holy Week. Unfortunately, this seminal article has not been published independently of the Triodion. I encourage everyone to take a careful look at Mother Paula' summary for a host of insights into Great Lent that are meant to be translated into practice on the part of the faithful. Please raise any questions that come to mind when reading through this. Good material, possibly, for post-Liturgy discussions.
Notes on The Meaning of Great Lent
